West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-03-10
SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL.

A gross OF steel pens, formerly costing
t35, may now be produced for eight
cents. The cost of making gold chains
has been reduced TO an eighth OF what IL
was. These illustrations show the di-
minishcd cost of production in metal
work.
An artcsian well being sunk at White
Plains, New, is down over ., 500 feet, and
can 80 no further until the water, which is
seventeen per cent salt, and SO heavy that
the ropes and tools float ON il and the
drill does not penetrate the rock, has
been shut out.
Some time ago, says Southern paper,
tho United States Navy Department
wanted mast for a war vessel that
should bo perfectly straight, eighty -four
feet long and twenty four inches square
at the top Agents OF the government
tried in vain in several States To have the
contract filled. At last the matter camo
to the notice of some mmbcrmCn OF Or
nngchurg, = c., who made n search, and
in n short time discovered on the Edisto
several trees that came up TO the require
mcnts. one was cut down, hcwn and
shipped 10 its destination.
The New York State Board of Health
has prepared "a report ON the pathogcnctic
powers OF contaminated ice, in which it
Is stated that lee formed in impure water
may coutH from eight To ten per cent.
of the organic matter dissolved i'm the
water, and in addition avery large amount
OF the organic matter that was merely sus
pended or floating in it, II may also
contain living animals and plants, rang
ing in size from visible worms down to
the minutcst spores, and the vitality OF
these organisms may bc unaffected by
freezing. Such ice is unfit for use in
drinking water for it may cause serious
illness.
In an English discussion of railway
speeds it appears that rigid tests with u
Bristol and Exeter engine, with 0-foot
single driving wheels, gave 80 miles nm
hour as the greatest atniuablc rate down
an incline Of i'm 90 with no load a sin
gle car reducing this TO ~ miles. 4
Great Western engine, with < foot wheels,
could do no better than 1S miles down I
in 100. On a level or ascending grade
the maximum can be but little moro than
go miles nm hour As these engines were
designed especially for giving the great.
est possible speed, it is affirmed no mod
crn motors are adapted for beating their
records, and that reports of train running
at more than 10 miles an hour, even fot
the shortest distances, must bc due TO in.
accurate timing or other errors
Considerable interest has lately been
manifested in statement published by
VI. NillOn, a French chemist well known
for scientific research, that he has discover.
ed AN alkaloid poison of pronounced char.
aCtcrlsucs In dccaycd animal tissues.
This poison is quite powerful, dose ot
five Ccntigrammcs being sufficient to Kill
a dog. The interesting point in NJ vii
Ions researches is the fact that in his in
ycstigations he applied tests TO spoiled
flour, because of the likeness Of gluten
TO animal fibrin, and in that way discov.
cred the poisonous alkaloid Spoiled and
dccaycd flour has peculiar appearance
and foul, caustic, pungcnt, bitter flavor.
II tastes hot and singing, somewhat like
pepper, according 10 the stage Of dcCom-
position. Dough made from it is also
bitter TO the taste and offensive TO smell,
and it crumblcs in hot water and affects
injuriously the stomach Plaques have
been attributed TO the use Of dccayed
flour, the great plague in Rome being
cited ~ an instance. Wheat -four spoile
very easily especially in the months be
tween March and August, when q fer
mcntation sets in that goes on through
the succeeding months until the spelling
is conn